bv. Patriots’ Marcus Jones cements himself in franchise history in 42-13 win over Panthers

FOXBOROUGH — There were a lot of positives in the New England Patriots’ 42-13 win over the Carolina Panthers. But the one that stood out the most was Marcus Jones.

The veteran cornerback has excelled on special teams over the years, and on Sunday, he cemented himself in Patriots history.

After the Panthers jumped out to a 7-0 lead, followed by a three-and-out by the Patriots’ offense, Jones took it upon himself to get some points on the board, returning the punt for an 87-yard touchdown.

Jones went on to finish the day with 167 punt return yards, which was the most by a Patriots player in a game in franchise history.

“First off, it’s a blessing. They told me about that after the game and I wasn’t thinking about that, but that’s crazy,” he said. “The first punt, the main thing I always think about is getting the first down. That’s the first thing I was thinking about and just getting the offense in a great position. I had someone on my leg for a little minute, but then I got out, and I tried to find some blocking and everything. But I commend my teammates because they never stop whenever they could and they blocked the guys they needed to block, for sure, and opened up lanes.”